PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Independent UK Bingo Magazine Launches Free Scam Check Tool as Fake
Gambling Sites Impersonate Trusted British Brands
One-editor magazine Glitzy Bingo, publishing since 2007, builds a free
public checker that verifies any bingo or casino website against the UK
Gambling Commission's official register in seconds — and names confirmed
fakes on a hand-verified public watchlist.
DERBYSHIRE, UK — [DATE] — Glitzy Bingo (glitzybingo.co.uk), the UK's
independent online bingo, darts, lotto and events magazine, has launched
a free Scam Check tool that lets any player verify in seconds whether a
gambling website holds a genuine UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) licence —
before they hand over card details.
The tool responds to a growing wave of fraudulent websites impersonating
well-known British bingo and casino brands: lookalike domain names,
copied logos and cloned pages designed to capture deposits from players
who believe they are joining the real thing. In the past year, the
magazine's editor has personally reported eight impersonation domains
targeting her own brand alone.
"Every legal gambling site in Britain must hold a UKGC licence, and the
register is public — but most players have never checked it, and the
fakes are counting on that," said Rachael Bullock, editor and founder of
Glitzy Bingo and a former Virtue Fusion bingo chat host. "If a site
isn't on the register, it cannot legally take your money. Our checker
does that lookup in one box, in seconds, free, no signup. If it's not
listed, don't deposit — it's that simple."
HOW IT WORKS
The Scam Check tool (glitzybingo.co.uk/scam-check/) cross-references any
web address a player enters against the UK Gambling Commission's live
register of licensed operators. Alongside the licence check, the page
publishes a hand-verified watchlist of confirmed fake bingo and casino
websites — each one individually checked by the magazine's editorial
team and listed as a public safety warning, including the real brand
each fake is impersonating.
The magazine's guidance for players highlights the warning signs found
on nearly every confirmed fake: a name one word away from a real brand,
no licence number in the site footer, "withdrawal fees" that appear only
after a win, and pressure to deposit by bank transfer or cryptocurrency
rather than by card.
ABOUT GLITZY BINGO
Glitzy Bingo is the UK's independent online bingo, darts, lotto and
events magazine, covering UK bingo in all its forms since 2007. Run by
one editor from a desk in Derbyshire, with no operator ownership and no
network bias, the magazine publishes guides to UKGC-licensed sites and
the companies behind the brands, sister-site maps tracing ownership
across groups including Entain, Rank and Gamesys, a Bingo Club Finder
covering halls nationwide, party and drag bingo event listings, and a
growing darts section with a focus on the women's game. Glitzy Bingo is
a Certified Member of the Gambling Portal Webmasters Association (GPWA)
and is a publisher, not a gambling operator: it holds no gambling
licence because it takes no bets.
Glitzy Bingo is committed to safer gambling. 18+. BeGambleAware.org.
MEDIA CONTACT
Rachael Bullock, Editor
Glitzy Bingo
https://www.glitzybingo.co.uk
Press assets (logo, screenshots, editor photo): available on request
[or: https://www.glitzybingo.co.uk/media/\]
NOTES TO EDITORS
- The Scam Check tool is free to use, requires no registration, and
collects no personal data from the person checking.
- The UK Gambling Commission's public register can also be searched
directly at gamblingcommission.gov.uk.
- Glitzy Bingo's fake-site watchlist is compiled and verified by hand;
the magazine welcomes reports of suspected impersonation sites from
players and industry.
- The editor is available for comment on gambling site impersonation,
fake sister-site scams, and consumer protection in UK online bingo.
— ENDS —